The Division II Implementation Committee on Thursday finalized several recommendations for the division's Management Council and Presidents Council to consider sponsoring for the 2023 NCAA Convention.
The Management Council and Presidents Council will review the recommendations at their July and August meetings, respectively.
Among the recommendations are concepts to change the name and/or composition of the division's Presidents Council, Management Council, Planning and Finance Committee, and Administrative Committee.
One concept to modify the Division II Presidents Council would change the group's size to 13, a decrease from its current 16-member composition. The concept also includes renaming the group the Division II Executive Board.
A second concept would modify the makeup of the Management Council to 29 voting members (currently 28). The Management Council would include at least five athletics directors, five senior woman administrators, five faculty athletics representatives and two conference office staff members as part of its composition.
The proposed composition of both councils is detailed below:
Division II Executive Board
- Eight presidents/chancellors based on Division II championships regions.
- One at-large president/chancellor to enhance diversity of the board.
- Two independent members not employed by an NCAA school, conference or affiliate organization.
- Two student-athletes (one representing male sports, one representing female sports) who are members of and elected by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Â Â
Division II Management Council
- One representative from all 23 Division II conferences.
- Four at-large members to enhance diversity of the council.
- Two student-athletes (one representing male sports, one representing female sports) who are members of and elected by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The above graphic is a high-level overview of the Division II governance structure if the Division II Implementation Committee's final recommendations are adopted. The Division II Management Council and Presidents Council will review the recommendations at their July and August meetings, respectively.
Additionally, the concepts would enhance the duties of the Management Council to have final authority to adopt noncontroversial and intent-based amendments, administrative bylaws and regulations to govern Division II. Among other changes to its duties, the concept would also provide the Management Council the authority to sponsor legislative proposals for a vote at the Convention, which currently only the Presidents Council has the authority to do. Enhancing the duties of the Management Council helps mitigate concerns about a reduced Presidents Council (Executive Board) in that all conferences would be represented on the body that has decision-making authority on the day-to-day responsibilities and operations for the division.
These concepts were among several options to modify the division's highest leadership bodies, which were included in the membership survey distributed in February and have been vetted within the Division II membership for the last few months.
The concept related to an Executive Board would take effect Feb. 1, 2024, to permit the current Division II Presidents Council members to remain on the council through the full 2023 legislative cycle that concludes with the 2024 NCAA Convention. The Management Council proposal would be effective Aug. 1, 2023.
Other committee changes
Another proposed concept from the Implementation Committee would rename the Division II Planning and Finance Committee as the Division II Strategic Planning and Finance Committee. The committee would expand from seven voting members to 11, including at least one member from a minority-serving school. The composition would include the following:
- The Presidents Council vice chair.
- Two Management Council members, including its vice chair.
- One conference commissioner.
- One Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member.
- Six additional members.
An additional concept would maintain the size of the current Division II Administrative Committee (five members) but include the chair of Division II SAAC along with the chair and vice chair of the Presidents and Management Councils. This recommendation is consistent with the division's efforts to add and amplify the student-athlete voice across the governance structure. The Administrative Committee is tasked with handling Division II business in between quarterly meetings of the Presidents Council.
Legislative process timeline
One recommended proposal for the 2023 Convention would amend the timing of the Division II legislative process as follows:
- July 15: Deadline for submission of proposals by the membership.
- Sept. 1: Deadline for the Division II Presidents Council (Executive Board) to sponsor legislation.
- Sept. 15: Modification period for membership-sponsored proposals.
- Oct. 7: Deadline for committee review of membership-sponsored proposals.
- By Dec. 10: Publication of the Official Notice.
Other recommendations
In addition to the recommendations for the 2023 Convention proposals, the Implementation Committee also put together 12 noncontroversial legislative proposals, two nonlegislative (policy) changes, and a package of concepts, tasks and reviews to be referred to existing bodies within the Division II governance structure. More detailed descriptions of these and the other recommendations are available in the meeting report.
Thursday's videoconference essentially completes the Implementation Committee's work to implement significant change to the division's operating procedures. The group will meet virtually once more Aug. 8 to review actions taken by the Management Council and Presidents Council. The committee could convene again in the fall if necessary, but it is expected that the referrals to the governance structure will be sufficient to satisfy the committee's charge of conducting a comprehensive review of the division's rules to align with the new constitution.
